More Articles

State transportation officials say they are trying to clear the way for drivers who want to
avoid upcoming construction at the I-270 and Rt. 23 interchange.

The first step is scheduled to begin in September, when the intersection of Rt. 750 (Powell
Road) and Rt. 23 is expanded a little farther north in Delaware County.

The corridor is an artery for commuters catching southbound I-71 to Columbus, said Breanna
Watzka, an Ohio Department of Transportation spokeswoman. About 300 vehicles turn left from
southbound Rt. 23 to eastbound Rt. 750 every hour to reach the freeway during peak commuting
times.

It could get even more crowded when crews start the$74.3 million expansion ofRt. 23 near I-270
this summer.“People are going to be taking alternate routes to avoid that construction zone, so we
want increased capacity on those alternate routes,” Watzka said, which includes the $480,000
project at Rts. 750 and 23.

The intersection expansion is the first of six projects that the transportation agency wants to
complete by next year, when it plans to start digging a trench that will be used to add northbound
underground express lanes for Rt. 23. Those six projects are designed to handle an anticipated
increase in vehicles trying to avoid an expected logjam at I-270 and Rt. 23, Watzka said.

ODOT will add southbound through-lanes on Rt. 23, south of 750, and a dedicated right turn-lane
from westbound Rt. 750 onto northbound Rt. 23. Existing lanes also will be redesigned to provide
another dedicated left turn-lane from southbound Rt. 23 onto eastbound Rt. 750, Watzka said.

Currently, traffic in the single left-turn lane on southboundRt. 23 often backs up into the
through-lane during peak travel times, she said.The left-turn lane from northbound Rt. 23 onto Rt.
750 has been shifted one lane over.

The department is using state funds to pay for the project, which is classified as a safety need
because of the volume of crashes at the intersection. Watzka said 66 crashes occurred at the
intersection from 2009 to 2011.

Construction is expected to be completed in November.Tuffy Auto Services Center owner Roger
Congrove said the intersection backs up during rush-hour traffic, but problems are created by the
drivers, not the intersection itself. His business is just down the road from the intersection.“
People just need to learn how to drive,” he said.